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Weekly Lists
September 8, 2017 www.intellinews.com I Page 24
bne:
Infrastructure
Kerch bridge to hurt Ukraine’s trade
The controversial bridge connecting Russia directly to the annexed peninsular of Crimea is nearly ready and will badly hurt Ukraine’s trade by restricting ship traffic in the Black and Azov seas, a study by the Center for Army, Conversion and Disarmament Studies in Kyiv has found.
Russian annexed Crimea in May 2014, bringing down international opprobrium on the Kremlin as well as sanctions. Since the only land route between Russia and Crimea crosses Ukrainian territory, the Kremlin has commissioned a bridge to connect its new territory, which would otherwise be cut off economically, to the mainland.
A 6,000 tonne railway arch that is high enough to allow shipping to pass through the bridge was completed in August, and the 19km bridge is due to open to road traffic next year and to rail traffic in 2019.
Representatives of China, Iran, Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan will meet in Iran within the next two months to discuss a new railway line to connect the five countries, TOLOnews agency reported on September 4, citing the Afghanistan Railway Authority.
The new railway line will “significantly” help decrease transit
costs between the participating countries, the Afghan Chamber
of Commerce and Industries (ACCI) said. The project will help integrate Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan into China’s One Belt One Road trade infrastructure initiative, which already envisages Central Asia as a transit zone for Chinese exports to Europe.
Bucharest National Airport Company (CNAB) plans to build a new terminal at Henry Coanda International Airport in the Romanian capital, with a €820mn investment, representatives of the company announced on September 6.
The new terminal, which will have 25 gates, will increase the capacity of the airport, which is under heavy pressure due to increased traffic.
Traffic is expected to rise by 15% this year to almost 13mn passengers, close to the limit the airport can manage without seriously affecting passengers’ comfort. Passenger traffic at Bucharest airport has already increased by around 20% y/y to 5.9mn in the first six months of this year.
Afghanistan, China, Iran, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan plan 2,200km rail project
Bucharest airport to get €820mn new terminal